One Shot...One Kill. It's a Marine Thing

"Every Marine a Rifleman" is one of those bedrock mantras that each individual who earns the elite title "Marine" has heard from his earliest days of boot camp. The theme that regardless of Military Occupational Specialty (MOS, or military speak for "job") every Marine will be able to fire a weapon is fundamental in the Corps. This past week as I arrived at the rifle range at Weapons Training Battallion at approximately 445am every morning I was greeted with a sign that reminded me of this age old Marine slogan. On one hand it was motivating and it pumped me up. On the other hand it was a sober reminder that no matter what we do, every Marine is equipped to sight in and put rounds on a target. It helped me focus. It helped me qualify as a rifle expert.
This ability is one of those things that sets us apart from other branches of service. Whether your a cook or a legal clerk you are still required to qualify every year with the rifle. The only exception is for those in the rank of Gunnery Sergeant or above who qualify with the 9mm Beretta pistol instead of the M16 rifle. One way or another every Marine has to shoot. The incentive to shoot well is multifold. How you shoot not only could save your life, but it affects your promotion to. The higher score you shoot the better set you are to get promoted. This makes Marines a rare breed. Regardless of rank or job Marines are warriors. Trained to fight, to survive, and to succeed in combat.
That all sounds nice, but you might be wondering is it really pragmatic? Has a financial clerk ever shot at someone in combat? The answer is yes. There are cooks in the US Marines who have Combat Action Ribbons for being in sustained firefights. Just recently a group of reservist in MOS's like admin clerk, supply clerk, and cook found themselves pinned down with no help. They proceeded to whip it on, using the instincts and basic skills every Marine has, and after several days of intense fighting they founght their way out of what seemed a hopeless situation. Today even as I write, several bases in Iraq have Marines guarding the base. These rifle companies aren't made up of infantry guys. They are composed of admin, supply, and computer guys. That doesn't make our bases unsafe either. It just means our infantry Marines can focus their time patrolling, going house to house, and doing what they do...Seek out, close with, and destroy the enemy through fire and manuever.
This principle in practice isn't the only things that results in the success the US Marines have, but every Marine being armed with ability to hit a man from 500 yards away with iron sights is an awesome capability. It isn't everything, but it is just another thing that for 230 years has made our name synonomous with the defense of freedom. It's just one of those things that make us the few, the proud, the US Marines.

Semper Fi
Joe